Reconnaissance Encountered Obstacles, Danger Lurked Everywhere

The wind and sand still howled. Chen Wuya strapped the broken blade across his back, pressed his left hand over the bandage on his shoulder, and stepped into the southern mountain path one pace at a time. Dead branches snapped crisply beneath his feet. Suddenly, he stopped and pressed his palm to the ground.

Misaligned Force seeped into the soil like a trickling stream. The tremors were faint yet regular—once every three breaths, exactly as the wounded soldiers had described before lapsing into unconsciousness.

"They're still digging," he said quietly without looking back. "We're headed the right way."

Bai Zhi caught up from behind, her gaze sweeping over the broken post road ahead. Half a rotted wooden stake protruded from the collapsed rock wall, wrapped in coarse hemp cloth with scorched black edges, as though it had been singed by fire and hastily buried.

"They wrapped the wagon wheels to travel at night, and they burned away the traces." Her voice was very low. "They're not afraid of being seen. They're afraid of being recognized."

Chen Wuya nodded and raised a hand, signaling his guards to spread out. The six soldiers immediately fanned out, searching along both sides of the rock wall. One guard poked aside a mound of sand with his sword tip, revealing a dark brown leather cord. One end was nailed into a crack in the rock; the other vanished beneath a pile of rubble.

"There's a mechanism." The man had barely stepped back half a pace when Chen Wuya stopped him. "Don't move!"

Before his words had faded, a muffled boom sounded in the distance. The pile of rubble shuddered violently. A stone slab two feet square flipped up, followed by several massive boulders rolling down from above and smashing into the spot, throwing up a